The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A variable frequency drive (“VFD”) is a solid state device designed to perform motor shaft rotation speed control from zero to 100% or above the rated RPM of an alternating current (AC) motor. Output voltage and frequency to the motor are adjusted by the device to accomplish this. It is normally part of a system that includes a human machine interface (“HMI”) and control that sets various operating characteristics or limits. These include but are not limited to: maximum voltage, frequency, current, temperature, acceleration rate and deceleration rate. Communication methods may be deployed between two or more VFD devices or a VFD and other control panels.
It will also be appreciated that different countries have line voltage and line frequencies that typically differ slightly. For example, the frequency of AC line power in European countries is 50 Hz, while it is 60 Hz in the United States. Thus, this gives rise to the need for the manufacturer to produce different control panels to implement different VFDs and control components that are suitable for use in different countries.